stributed trinkets and nails among them, and made signs that they
should go on shore and bring us some of their hogs, fowls, and fruit,
but they did not seem to understand my meaning: They were, in the mean
time, watching an opportunity to steal some of the things that happened
to lie in their way, but we generally detected them in the attempt. At
last, however, one of the midshipmen happened to come where they were
standing, with a new laced hat upon his head, and began to talk to one
of them by signs: While he was thus engaged, another of them came behind
him, and suddenly snatching off the hat, leaped over the taffarel into
the sea, and swam away with it.

As we had no anchorage here, we stood along the shore, sending the boats
at the same time to sound at a less distance. As none of these canoes
had sails, they could not keep up with us, and therefore soon paddled
back towards the shore. The country has the most delightful and romantic
appearance that can be imagined: Towards the sea it is level, and is
covered with fruit trees of various kinds, particularly the cocoa-nut.
Among these are the houses of the inhabitants, consisting only of a
roof, and at a distance having greatly the appearance of a long barn.
The country within, at about the distance of three miles, rises into
lofty hills, that are crowned with wood, and terminate in peaks, from
which large rivers are precipitated into the sea. We saw no shoals, but
found the island skirted by a reef of rocks, through which there are
several openings into deep water. About three o'clock in the afternoon,
we brought-to a-breast of a large bay, where there was an appearance of
anchorage. The boats were immediately sent to sound it, and while they
were thus employed, I observed a great number of canoes gather round
them. I suspected that the Indians had a design to attack them; and as I
was very desirous to prevent mischief, I made the signal for the boats
to come on board, and at the same time, to intimidate the Indians, I
fired a nine-pounder over their heads. As soon as the cutter began to
stand towards the ship, the Indians in their canoes, though they had
been startled by the thunder of our nine-pounder, endeavoured to cut her
off. The boat, however, sailing faster than the canoes could paddle,
soon got clear of those that were about her; but some others, that were
full of men, way-laid her in her course, and threw several stones into
her, which wounded some of the